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“Still hurt?”
“Yeah,” Gray mumbled as he tried to ignore the tingling where the guy’s fingers had been. At least he didn’t have to worry about trying to hide a hard-on around the guy. A fucked up silver lining he supposed. “Not as bad as yesterday, though,” he added when he saw the look of guilt in the man’s gaze. He had no idea why he cared either way.
“You should still get them checked out.”
The fingers kept probing Gray’s side. “Are you a doctor or something?” he asked when it occurred to him that the way the guy was touching him was very specific – like he was looking for something.
The man shook his head. “Just had some field training.”
“Military?”
A brief nod. The admission should have made Gray feel better but then he noticed the jagged scar that started at the man’s temple and disappeared into his hair. A memory from yesterday hit him – the guy had been bleeding when he’d helped Gray into the truck.
“Are you able to take a deep breath?”
Gray was jolted from his thoughts when he felt the man’s warm breath skim over his flesh as he continued to examine the bruised flesh. Shit, shit, shit – he could not be attracted to this man.
Pushing down his T-shirt, Gray took several steps back. “It’s fine,” he said firmly.
Hard eyes pinned his for a moment but he couldn’t tell what the other man was thinking. Another tremor of fear went through him and he reflexively took another step back. Something suddenly flashed through the man’s gaze before his expression went blank again and Gray couldn’t quite be sure what he’d seen. Disappointment? That couldn’t be right.
The man turned back to the branches he’d leaned against the wall and started collecting them one by one until they were all piled in his arms. “I wasn’t sure where you wanted your car keys so I stuck them in your desk drawer,” he said as he jutted his chin towards Gray’s desk and then turned to head for the door. “Your phone is in there too,” he added.
Before he could react, the guy was striding through the wide open front door. Gray watched him go and then pulled open the drawer and saw that his phone and keys were there. Indecision went through him and then he hurried after the guy. He stepped outside and heard the sound of wood hitting more wood next to the cabin. By the time he made his way down the porch steps, the man was back and brushing past him, his bag slung over his shoulder, the dog at his side. It took every bit of strength Gray had left to catch up to him and step in his path. He was glad when the man stopped instead of moving around him or shoving him out of the way.
“What was the wood for?”
The guy eyed him for a long moment and then said, “Bookshelf.”
“A bookshelf?” Gray asked in astonishment.
“You’ve got a lot of boxes marked books but I didn’t see any place for you to put them. I found a couple of fallen white birch trees on your property that were still in pretty good shape so…”
The man’s voice dropped off and Gray was surprised when he lowered his eyes. “Figured it might tide you over till yours came or you bought one.” He shook his head and moved around Gray again. “I left the wood out by the woodpile in back – you can just toss it in your fireplace so it doesn’t go to waste.”
For the first time in his life, Gray was truly and utterly speechless. And he felt like a complete shit. Without turning he called, “What’s your name?”
When there was no answer, he did turn but was surprised that the guy had actually stopped and was facing him. “Luke,” he finally said.
“Luke what?”
“Just Luke.”
Gray nodded. “Do you need a place to stay for a few days, Luke?”
* * *
Luke watched Gray move around the kitchen, his pace slow and sluggish. It was on the tip of his tongue to insist that the other man sit and take it easy while Luke fixed lunch but he remained silent. There’d been something in Gray’s eyes after he’d introduced himself and shaken Luke’s hand – a steely determination that made it seem like Gray had something to prove. That look and the strange sensation that had flickered beneath Luke’s skin where their palms had connected had been preoccupying Luke’s thoughts for the last fifteen minutes.
Saying yes to Gray’s offer had been easy because Luke was simply out of options. He had less than twenty bucks in his wallet and absolutely nowhere to go.
“Turkey okay?”
“Yeah,” Luke said absent-mindedly as he watched Gray rummaging through the fridge. He guessed them to be about the same size and build but Gray had a certain rugged elegance to him. His coloring was unique too – dark blond hair that had a slight wave to it and was threaded with shades of caramel and copper. But it was Gray’s eyes that had made something twist deep inside Luke. He’d seen hazel eyes on plenty of women but somehow none had ever seemed as beautiful as Gray’s. Green along the outer edges that bled seamlessly into a soft shade of gold.
Luke knew it was fucked up to think of anything on the man as beautiful, especially his eyes, but it was even more fucked up that he’d hated seeing the flash of fear in Gray’s gaze after Gray had stepped away from him while he’d been examining the injury he’d inflicted. It wasn’t the first time Luke had seen that same expression but it was definitely the first time it had actually hurt.
“Sorry, it’s not much,” Gray said as he slid a sandwich piled high with turkey in front of Luke. “Haven’t had time to shop yet this week.” Gray’s eyes shifted from his to the dog that was laying quietly at Luke’s feet. “She have a name?” Gray asked as he began feeding the dog several slices of turkey.
